The Delhi Police Special Cell (SC) and Mumbai Police Crime Branch (CB) coupled with the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) are arguably the best police units in the country. But far from coordinating on cases like the IPL spot fixing, on display is an unhealthy and immature rivalry to outdo each other. In Pic: Bookies allegedly involved in IPL spot fixing scam being produced at a court in Mumbai on Wednesday.

The rivalry between the CIA and FBI isn't an unusual Hollywood plot. But, with ace police units of two of its biggest metros fighting it out in the open to claim credit for exposing the dirt in the Indian Premier League, India is perhaps witnessing something similar for the first time.

Armed with state-of-the-art surveillance mechanisms and staffed with the finest sleuths in the business, the Delhi Police Special Cell (SC) and Mumbai Police Crime Branch (CB) coupled with the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) are arguably the best police units in the country. But far from coordinating on cases like the present one, on display is an unhealthy and immature rivalry to outdo each other.

The secrecy with which Delhi Police conducted its operation in Mumbai, in the wee hours of May 16, without involving the Mumbai Police, could even draw comparisons with the US strike in Abbottabad in Pakistan to take out Osama bin Laden. A 19-member SC team started its job around 2:00 a.m., about the time players got to the team hotel after the IPL match — which Rajasthan Royals lost to the Mumbai Indians — at Wankhede Stadium. In the next couple of hours, Sreesanth was picked up from Carter Road after a Delhi Police team waylaid his car, while two other players and bookies were picked up from five-star hotels.

The Delhi Police teams, with their respective catches, converged at Marine Drive, lodged an entry about the arrests at 6:00 a.m. at the police station there, and flew out to Delhi by the first flight. SC chief SN Srivastava admits they wanted to get to Delhi without drawing much attention. But, within hours, Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar was hogging all the attention at a mega media briefing.

Caught napping in its own backyard, CB wasn't ready to merely watch. CB had arrested a key bookie, Ramesh Vyas, on May 14, who was starting to blurt out details of spot-fixing in the IPL. But Delhi Police had got wind of this and swooped in before the Mumbai cops could join the dots. The CB on May 17 raided Sreesanth's hotel room, netting his laptop, iPad and iPhone. The same day, CB Joint Commissioner Himanshu Roy claimed the spotfixing scandal may not be limited to just three players. On May 18, he held an unusual press briefing to show off Sreesanth's seized gadgets, all of which were lying sealed! Asked why Delhi Police did not seize the same, Roy retorted, "I work for Mumbai Police. Ask this question to the Delhi Police." He also asked for Sreesanth's custody from Delhi Police. To which Kumar replied, on May 19, "Let them first hand over their evidence to us. We will have a good look at it." His deputy, SN Srivastava, now says Mumbai Police is being a bad loser by stepping into the IPL probe. "They are just trying to save face. They failed to check all this spot-fixing happening in Mumbai," the SC chief said on May 20, describing the recoveries made by Mumbai Police as "leftovers" and saying his men had been tapping phones in this case for long, since April 14.

Then, on May 21, Roy announced the arrest of actor Vindoo Dara Singh, saying the leads could go even further. Afew hours later, Delhi Police told a court that names of more IPL players had come to light and the net was being cast wider to probe even full-scale match-fixing in the IPL.

Both police units, which have publicly sniped at each another and have been willingly leaking details of the investigation to the media, leading to wild speculation, have not said if they plan to coordinate with each other. In the past, such friction has cost India dear. SC laid a trap near a house in Byculla area of Mumbai last January since an "informer", Naqi Ahmed Sheikh, told them the Indian Mujahideen chief in India, Yasin Bhatkal, would turn up there. But the Maharashtra ATS swooped in to arrest Sheikh, saying he was involved in the 2011 Mumbai blasts. Delhi Police publicly rued that Bhatkal slipped away due to this, while ATS chief Rakesh Maria said they had no clue about the SC's trap. The Centre had then said it would ensure no such turf wars happened in the future. Given the challenges the country's national and financial capitals face from terrorists and economic fraudsters, there cannot be a bigger case for Delhi and Mumbai police to bury the hatchet, starting with the IPL spot-fixing case. If they can achieve such individual success, wouldn't working in unison be so much better?